MINUTES OF A PATIENTS REPRESENTATIVE GROUP MEETING HELD ON 12 JUNE 2019

Present: Perry Anderson, Brian Bell, Peter Chatfield, Janet Copeland, Dave Dopson, Sheila Drury. Jane Green, Jan Leftley, Lesley Marginson, Gordon Robson

Action

1. Welcome and introductions.

Peter welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked everyone for their continued support of the PRG, with particular mention to Jim for taking the Minutes and for his help with the new website. Thanks were also given to Perry for his hard work and in supporting the PRG.

Isabel Costello, Engagement Officer for East Surrey, and Horsham & Mid CCGs recently said that she felt strongly that all practices should be represented at CPRG meetings. PHMG is very fortunate in that Gordon continues to represent the PRG at CPRG meetings.

2. Apologies received from Pat Osbourne and Jim Sarjantson.

3. Minutes & Matters Arising.

Minutes of the meeting dated 5 December 2018 were approved.

3.1 Perry gave an update on the new website which is a vast improvement on the old one. 10,200 patients are now signed up for online services and a third of appointments are made online. When new patients register with the practice, they will be asked if they would like to sign up for our online services.

Sheila will update the news and Patient Group pages; Perry and the admin staff update practice information.

3.2 CPRG - Gordon informed the meeting that Horsham & Mid Sussex practices are 50/60% represented at meetings. Crawley requires 7 practices to attend but sometimes there are only 5 represented.

3.3 Discussion took place on the efficiency of local pharmacies and the various options for using generic/alternative medicines.

3.4 Patient surveys – the friends & family survey is ongoing. In-surgery surveys to be done again in both and Copthorne. Perry will circulate dates PA and members of the PRG who would like to participate will confirm to him their availability.

3.5 New-build Copthorne – Perry advised that the practice is working with the developers to build a 500 sq metre surgery less than ½ mile from the existing Copthorne surgery. It will be paid for by the partners of PHMG and will consist of 10 consulting rooms, increasing the capacity by 7, with the majority of admin still being carried out at Pound Hill. There will be an additional doctor and one more nurse.

It is estimated that 2000 additional patients will be coming from the new development.

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At the time of the meeting, the outline proposal has been approved by NHS and a full business case is currently being prepared.

Apollo Capital Projects, a project management company, have been appointed to work with PHMG..

Provisional date for completion is between June 2021 and June 2022.

Perry would like to hold an additional PRG meeting to discuss how best to inform patients once he is fully confident that the project will go ahead. ALL Wednesday 23rd October 1 pm – 3 pm was agreed.

4. Friends Group Update

Sheila confirmed that the Friends Group has been closed.

5. Primary Care Network Update

Contracts with NHS England are updated annually and they are wanting primary care providers to join Primary Care Networks (of between 30,000 – 50,000 patients) to share resources. One reason behind this initiative is that small practices are often not able to provide the same level of service as larger practices.

PHMG have formed a network with Furnace Green, Woodlands Clerklands and Ifield practices as they have a similar ethos to ourselves. Woodlands Clerklands is on a different system but is considering changing to the EMIS system that the others use. All share a similar clinical system with approx. 43,000 patients overall.

We will still provide services as we do now but can pool resources and Ifield will provide extended hours appointments from July.

This year the network can employ a Clinical Pharmacist who will carry out medication reviews and acute illness cover. PHMG will be able to use their services for 1.5 days per week.

From 2020 we will be able to employ a Social Prescriber who will have the time and knowledge to provide additional support to those patients who need more services.

By the end of year 5, the network will also have:

• a first contact Physiotherapist who can provide acute services, assessing, diagnosing and referring on.

• a Physician Associate, who is someone with a biomedical degree followed by a 2-year training programme and can do 50% of what GPs do.

• A Paramedic Practitioner.

6. CPRG Update

6.1 CPRG had been told that there has been an increase on MMRs in the locality and there is a push on increasing vaccinations.

6.2 The Foot Care service in Crawley was discussed – there is no update.

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6.3 Gordon asked about the potential of getting a CRG Notice Board at Both surgeries – Perry agreed and will get in place. PA

6.4 Discussed that Crawley CCG would be merging with Mid Sussex, Horsham and Coastal = West Sussex CCG. Concerns have been raised about funding and how this will impact Crawley, how this will affect Crawley politically and will they have a voice within the larger Sussex area.

7. Any other business

7.1 Concerns were raised over the care being provided at the UTC and one specific PRG group member’s issue discussed – all encouraged member and all to raise issues with the Sussex Community Foundation Trust so that other patients do not have the same experience.

7.2 Update to all that this is Carers’ Support Week - all to be aware that there is a three-year contract in place for them to provide support to our carers. Further information can be found at: www.carerssupport.org.uk

7.3 A PRG member highlighted that there is a problem in Crawley with minority groups attending A&E rather than the UTC because of the language barrier and understanding of local services.

7.4 Jane Green to present to the PRG about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Further information ahead of the meeting can be found at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ehlers-danlos-syndromes/

Post Meeting Note – Perry has hired a new Nurse, Hilda Blankson, who will be starting with us in July. He will invite her to the next meeting.

9. Date of next meetings:

• 18 September 1 – 3pm PRG

• 23 October 1 – 3pm – Special meeting with New Build Project Management Team

• 11 December 12 – 2pm PRG

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